Press Release No. 3

Life jackets at night -- a safety first for Transpac

Sept. 23, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Life jackets at night -- a safety first for Transpac

All crew on deck will be required to wear life jackets at night during the 40th Transpacific Yacht Race next summer-a safety first for any major offshore race in the world.

The Transpac board of directors this week adopted the precedent-setting rule after several months of consideration. It goes beyond US Sailing's current offshore sailing Rule 5.01 that states: ". . . all personnel on deck shall wear personal flotation while starting and finishing without exception, and at all other times except when the Captain of the boat directs that it may be set aside."

At night in the Transpac, that decision is no longer in the skipper's hands. However, Rule 5.01 will still require crew to wear personal flotation devices (PFDs) even during daylight hours, unless the captain declares it unnecessary.

John Bonds, chairman of US Sailing's Safety at Sea Committee, said, "I'm very pleased. It's a great idea. If you can stay afloat, you have a chance of being recovered. But it's not going to take the burden off the captain legally. The captain is responsible for the safety of the crew. That's fundamental to maritime law."

The Transpac rule also stipulates that while PFDs may consist of fixed or inflatable flotation, they must be equipped with strobe lights to make overboard crew easier to find. Such a device is credited with saving a crew aboard the ULDB 70 Evolution who fell overboard at night in the Newport-to-Ensenada Race last April.

With all of that in mind, the Transpac board's vote was straightforward: "PFDs with strobes to be worn at night, dusk to dawn," said TPYC Commodore L.J. Edgcomb in calling for a show of hands. Approval was unanimous.

The Transpac's action follows a series of tragic incidents elsewhere over the last few years, including the loss of prominent sailors such as Japanese America's Cup skipper Makoto Namba and France's legendary Eric Tabarly. Both incidents occurred at night. Neither was wearing a life jacket.

Earlier this month, veteran seaman Karl Myers of Long Beach and Honolulu was lost 750 miles off the Oregon coast when a large rogue wave washed him off the 50-foot sailboat he was delivering from Hawaii to Seattle.

Chief proponent of the new rule was Robbie Haines, a board member who also is an Olympic gold medalist and veteran Transpac campaigner, most recently aboard Roy E. Disney's record-setting Pyewacket.

"I'm delighted to see the Transpac be pro-active in this," Haines said. "I've lost a lot of friends."

In 39 races since 1906, the Transpac has never lost a sailor during a race, although a few have gone overboard and been recovered. But with the development of faster boats, the risk has increased. An ultralight surfing downwind under a spinnaker at 20 knots-twice as fast as a conventional displacement boat-would travel a mile or more before the crew could get it turned around to return.

"I've thought about that a lot," said Haines.

Some consideration was given to the alternative of wearing harnesses tethered to the lifelines or other attachments-the idea being, don't fall off the boat in the first place. But the conclusion was that requiring all hands on deck to wear harnesses could lead to a greater risk of tethers becoming entangled or caught up in winches or other hardware during critical maneuvers.

Board member Dale Nordin said, "A harness makes sense when you're sailing in cold water. We're sailing in warm water."

Board member Peggy Redler anticipated some negative reaction to the new rule. "There are always people who will object to wearing seat belts or motorcycle helmets," she said. "The question is, would you feel better knowing your son or daughter or husband or wife or friend was wearing a life jacket out there?"

Water ballast, canting keels out

On another issue partly related to safety, as well as balancing the competition, the Transpac board voted to amend the Sailing Instructions to disallow entries with canting keels or those configured for water ballast-with a grandfather clause for those built or designed before the 1997 race.

Canting keels, which can be swung from side to side, and water ballast pumped into the windward side of a boat can provide upright stability, a significant advantage, especially in a race like the Transpac that is sailed mostly on starboard tack--but at the expense of greater strain on the sails and rigging. Former record holder Merlin sailed the '97 Transpac reconfigured with a canting keel, and in the recent West Marine Pacific Cup, Roy E. Disney went so far as to hang seven Kevlar ballast bags weighing 3,000 pounds over Pyewacket's windward rail (see Digital Photo Album seection of the Pacific Cup website for a photo of Pyewacket's bags).

Although Pyewacket broke another record, Disney later had second thoughts and wrote to Pacific Cup organizers noting that it wasn't worth the risk of stressing the boat so hard.

Paragraph 2.8.1 of the Sailing Instructions already requires "all yachts to be designed and raced in a symmetrical (no-list) configuration . . . [as for] a race that has equal amounts of time on both tacks."

Chuck Cunningham of Capitola, who has been involved in the Pacific Cup, endorsed the Transpac decision against canting keels and water ballast. "It keeps it more within the realm of reality for most people," he said.

Transpac notes

With the next race nine months away, entry chairman DAN NOWLAN said he has had 13 requests for entry forms. They are now available by writing to Nowlan at 4224 Point Loma Ave., San Diego, CA 92107. Nowlan also may be contacted by phone or fax at (619) 224-0198, pager/cellular at (619) 300-5950 or e-mail at dtnowlan@earthlink.net . . . Information packets, including the Sailing Instructions, have been mailed to 125 potential Cruising Class and 18 multihull competitors. The Cruising Class, introduced in '97, is for heavier displacement monohulls. Cruisers must be a minimum of 34 feet in length overall with a Southern California Region PHRF Random Leg rating between 27 and 195. Standard monohulls must have a rating of 140 or lower. Multihulls must be 45 feet LOA. . . . Entry fees paid before March 1 are $600 for boats under 50 feet, $800 for 50 feet and longer and $2,500 for Category C advertising entries. After March 1 the fees jump to $750 and $1,000 for under and over 50 feet. Members of US Sailing receive $50 discounts. . . . The Sailing Instructions, with entry information, are available on the race website - http://www.transpacificyc.org . . . . Three new TPYC members were approved by the board of directors: ELEANOR CLITHEROE-BELL and RANDY BELL of Vancouver's Royal Canadian Yacht Club, and KEITH KILPATRICK of Long Beach. The Bells raced Endeavor III in '97. Kilpatrick has sailed seven Transpacs.

Publicity: Rich Roberts
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e-mail: richroberts@compuserve.com